The year 2024 started with some nail-biting Test matches. The thrills of those matches make the longest cricket format more interesting. After defeating Pakistan with a 3-0 margin, Australia’s next Test series was against West Indies. In the first Test, Australia defeated the visitors by 10 wickets. But the West Indies made an amazing comeback and scripted history. After the loss, Aussie skipper Pat Cummins opened up about the match.
West Indies’ Historic win:
After losing the first Test match by a huge margin, West Indies met the host at Gabba. In that stadium, Australia is unstoppable. But in that match, West Indies became the second team after India to defeat Australia at Gabba. In the crucial series decider, West Indies batted first and scored 311 runs in 108 overs. Australia declared their innings at 289-9 in 53 overs. Kirk McKenzie played a crucial innings of 41 runs.
Alick Athanaze contributed with a handy 35, helping West Indies reach 193 in their second innings. In response, Australia’s Steve Smith scored an unbeaten 91, but he ran out of partners on Day 4 in Brisbane. Despite bowling through pain, West Indies fast bowler Joseph took six wickets in a single session, turning the match in their favor.
After 27 years, the West Indies finally defeated Australia in the longest and oldest format of the game. Their last win against Australia was back in 1997. This historic victory at the Gabba ended their long wait for a triumph over the Aussies.
Pat Cummins on the Match:
The West Indies have made history by becoming the first team to defeat Australia in a day-and-night test match. They put an end to Australia’s 11-game unbeaten streak in pink-ball Tests. Australia’s batting order was broken down by the bowling attack of the West Indies. In a major upset, the West Indies managed to claim Australia’s final eight wickets for just 96 runs, with Shamar being responsible for seven of those wickets.
On the loss, he said, “Yeah, you can. Which isn’t necessarily helpful because you are still hurting after a loss. They outplayed us, they played brilliantly. I know a lot of the talk coming into this was there were some debutants and some names who hadn’t traveled over here before, but once you put out an international XI, you know it’s going to be tough.”
Later he praised the opponent. He said, “They’ve been fantastic, they created a couple of new superstars that we didn’t know about before the series and as a cricket fan, as a Test-match cricket fan, there’s a part of me that was happy to watch.”
Aussie superstar Steve Smith was unbeaten till the end on 91 runs. He fought till the end. Cummins also appreciated his efforts. The Aussie skipper said, “He’s class, has been class for 15 years. Thought he was brilliant the way he managed the innings and almost single-handedly dragged us over the line.”
Further, he added, “Other than two dismissals, they are the only two balls he hasn’t looked like he’s middled. He’s class, and has been in class for 15 years. Thought he was brilliant in the way he managed the innings then through the different kinds of passages and almost single-handedly dragged us over the line.
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